


There's No Such Thing As Bad Weather

by Antares



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Friends to Lovers, Kissing, M/M, Romance, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2018-09-13 09:14:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9116911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Antares/pseuds/Antares
Summary: A nasty winter day and a very special mission for Daniel and Jack





	

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Es gibt kein schlechtes Wetter](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9117028) by [Antares](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Antares/pseuds/Antares). 



> Many, many thanks to my beta Shazzz!!

“Winter sucks,” Jack declared, looking like a six-year old who had been told not to use the remote-controlled car on the living room table, or play in the mud. 

Daniel, grinning, was standing beside him in the kitchen and helping him fill the plastic boxes with pieces of freshly decorated cinnamon-chocolate cake into plastic boxes. “We’ll take the cake with us to the SGC tomorrow. You’ll see. There won’t be a crumb left.” He licked a dollop of the frosting from his finger. 

“Of course. The greedy pigs will destroy it within half an hour,” Jack admitted surly. “But nevertheless, it would’ve been fun to have a least one comfy team weekend together before Christmas. Instead, it’s snowing and storming like hell, so that no one in their right mind would venture outside.” 

It was like a confirmation of his words when the weather report on the radio chose this moment to announce that the police of Colorado Springs advised the citizens to stay inside, and leave their homes only in case of emergency. As if to emphasize the point, the howling of the wind outside increased. The Christmas wreath – a gift from one of the neighbors – that was fixed on the outside of the entry door was banging and battering against the door. It was actually amazing that it was still there and hadn’t taken a short flight through the front yard. 

Daniel assumed that not being able to leave the house was Jack’s main problem, not the missed team gathering. Usually Jack loved snow, especially if it came in the form of nice, steep skiing slopes. But the sleet they had been getting for the last two days was useless to him. High mountains of damp snow were lining the roads and because there had been a dramatic drop in temperatures during the night they were all frozen now. The streets had been turned into ice rinks where skates would be the transportation of choice. 

Daniel had decided to stay the night at Jack’s because they hadn’t only put the rum into the batter of the cake, but also made a grog with it. Or two. Therefore, he was stuck at Jack’s house now. The other team members couldn’t reach the house, and he couldn’t leave it. Not that he minded. There were worse ways to spend his Sunday. 

“It’s nice to spend a quiet weekend in front of a crackling fire,” Daniel tried to warm Jack to the advantages of bad weather. 

“If you like to have your nose in a book – perhaps,” Jack grumbled and licked the crumbs from the knife which he had used to cut the cake. 

‘He’s really suffering from a lack of exercise,’ Daniel thought and marveled at how good he had become in reading the colonel in the last years. Most of the time at least. Sometimes, when Jack was insisting on being in a bitchy mood, even if no one was responsible for the combination of circumstances, Daniel became exasperated with him. On some rare occasions, even he couldn’t reach him, let alone Sam or Teal’c. But thank god, it didn’t happen very often. Daniel hoped that this wasn’t one of those days. 

“You could watch the hockey match you missed when we were on PX4 ZZ6,” Daniel suggested encouragingly. 

“It’s totally boring to watch a match when you already know the outcome,” Jack informed him. “And thanks to the newspapers which don’t give the results on the inside of the paper but put it in big headlines for everyone to see at a glance, even people who don’t want to know it, can’t avoid it. I already know that the CO Springs Tigers lost.” With much more force than necessary, Jack put the knife into the dishwasher. 

Daniel sighed deeply. It looked like this was going to be one of those difficult days – and he was unable to avoid Jack’s grouchiness. What else could he come up with to entertain Jack? “Do you want to play chess?” he asked at the same moment the telephone began ringing in the living room. Jack went in search of the phone, and Daniel started the dish-washer and cleaned the countertop. 

Two minutes later Jack returned, grinning. “We have a mission to PX 213. We have to take care of some non-humanoid life forms.” 

“What? Now? But how are we supposed to get to the SGC?” Incredulous, Daniel shook his head. If Hammond didn’t send a heavy bulldozer they were stuck. 

“By foot.” Jack beamed and winked at Daniel cockily. 

“Okay, I bite. Who was really on the phone?” 

“My neighbors, two houses down the street, in number 213. The Bergfields are the nice people who take care of my mail when our … uhm … business trips last longer than planned. She’s eighty-two, he’s eighty-five, and they were both rather fit until recently. But this summer she fell, fractured her hip, and she’s still walking with crutches.” 

“But that sounds like very humanoid life forms to me,” Daniel replied and inclined his head. 

Jack grinned. “The non-humanoids live in their back yard. Our job is to feed their rabbits, because none of my old neighbors are able to dig through the snow to reach the stable in this weather.” 

“Is it really necessary for me to accompany you?” Daniel tried his luck. 

“Of course! I announced a two-men-expedition.” 

Daniel sighed. “Fine. Do you have survival gear for me?” 

“You get one pair of my snow-goggles, mittens and a wind-resistant rain-jacket to wear over your anorak, okay?” 

 

Fifteen minutes later they left the house, fighting their way through the snow storm, sliding and skidding. Jack had packed two large pieces of cake and half a gallon of milk, and Daniel learned from Mrs. Bergfield that Jack – the good boy – did some of the shopping for her from time to time. 

Jack played down his willingness to help. “It’s no hardship to bring you something from the mall if I’m going there anyway.” But he didn’t quite manage to look gruff, especially not when Mr. Bergfield patted his arm, pressed a snow shovel into his hand and admonished him in a fatherly way to be careful on his way to the stable. 

“Yes, Sir.” Jack laughed and put two fingers to his black wooly-hat in a mock salute. 

Mrs. Bergfield gave Daniel a bucket with carrots and green waste from the kitchen. 

Jack and Daniel left the house and Jack started to shovel a path through the nearly waist high snow drifts on the lawn that led to the garden shed where the rabbits lived. Daniel followed him closely. Better not to let him out of sight, because the wind was so forceful that two minutes later the path was snow-covered again. And how far was it to the other end of the garden? 

The roaring snowstorm clawed through the thick layers of his winter jackets, and where it met tiny bits of uncovered skin between the ski goggles and scarf it hurt like pinpricks. Daniel was happy to finally reach the garden shed which was mostly taken up by a very spacious rabbit hutch. Daniel pushed up the ski glasses that fogged immediately. He looked around. Half a dozen fur balls awaited them desperately. They made a dash for the food, quarreling over it voraciously. 

Jack put a copious amount of hay into their racks; Daniel filled up the water which couldn’t freeze because this luxury-spa-hutch even had central heating which kept the temperatures above freezing point constantly. 

“To be a rabbit with the Bergfields seems to be a good life,” Daniel said musingly, wiping his dripping nose. 

“Don’t misjudge it,” Jack replied. “At the end of the day they all end up in the saucepan.” 

“Really?” Daniel wasn’t a vegetarian, but he didn’t like to imagine these fluffy balls skinned. 

“I don’t know.” Jack boxed him playfully against his upper arm. “Perhaps they are all thoroughbred rabbits with a ribbon around their neck for competitions and exhibitions only, Doctor-We-are-peaceful-explorers-and-mean-you-no-harm.” 

„Thank you, Colonel-I-don’t-mind-them-being-my-Christmas-roast.” Daniel boxed him with the thick gloves he had put back on. 

„Hey!“ Jack snatched his gloved hand and kept it in his. For a moment they faced each other wordlessly in the cold light of the bulb swinging from the ceiling.

„We have goose this year, not rabbit,” Jack mumbled. 

But for Daniel the words meant nothing, because he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Jack’s dark brown eyes, lost in a look he had never seen before. 

The moment stretched, Daniel didn’t know what to say, and not a single clever repartee came to his mind. The rabbits were nibbling away in the background, Jack’s and his breath condensated in the air, the swinging light casting constantly changing shadows on the walls. 

„We should go back,” Jack finally said… but he didn’t let go of Daniel’s hand that he was still holding forcefully. 

„We should,” Daniel answered mechanically. His heart rate had sped up and he felt much, much warmer than five minutes ago. Was this *the* decisive moment, even if it was totally un-romantic? Would this moment set the course for the future? Was this the most important decision he’d ever make? 

If only his heart had to decide, it would be so easy: he wanted Jack. Wanted the whole contradictory, ragtag, pain-in-the-mikta parcel that was Jack O’Neill. And it didn’t matter if Jack behaved childishly, silly and stubborn, or if he showed compassion, willingness to help others and that soft, mushy core. If he was stern and unyielding with their snaky adversaries and the pencil pushers from the Pentagon or if he was teasing and enraging them with his insolence. Daniel loved each and every of these Jacks – some a bit more, some a bit less. 

But obviously, it wasn’t only about his heart, but also about a realistic attitude, and that dictated that they shouldn’t jeopardize what they had. Daniel didn’t think that they were irreplaceable, no, but he knew that the Stargate Program would take another, more rigid direction if Jack and his unconventional decisions were no longer there to shape it. And if he had to leave the team, the only non-military element would be missing during their first contact missions. So there was a lot in favor of pretending for a bit longer that their friendship wasn’t balancing on a very sharp edge to something more, without having crossed it yet. 

As if Jack was able to read his mind, he said, “I just realized that for the last several years you’ve always been by my side. Even for such strange situations like feeding rabbits in the worst snowstorm of the year. I … perhaps I’m totally wrong here, but…” Jack bit on his lower lip, obviously searching for the appropriate words, but then he simply leaned forward. “Say no,” he whispered and hesitated another one… two… seconds before he pressed his lips to Daniel’s. 

“Yes!” Daniel laughed into the kiss. ‘Yes, yes, yes, yes!’ Inwardly he was filled with jubilation. He encircled Jack’s nearly untraceable waist under the heavily padded jacket, his fingers clumsy in the thick gloves. He tried to pull Jack a bit closer. “Yes,” he repeated and pressed the next kiss onto Jack’s lips. 

“Do you ever do what I tell you?” Jack asked with a lopsided grin and caressed with one finger Daniel’s chin, one of the few inches of skin that wasn’t covered. 

“Try me. I’m sure you find orders that I’ll follow immediately.” Daniel smiled and tried to focus his gaze on Jack who looked a bit blurred through the foggy glasses. 

“God, Daniel,” Jack groaned with a voice that was throaty and a bit desperate and suggested nothing less than his unconditional capitulation. He pulled Daniel’s glasses from his nose. 

Daniel closed his eyes and concentrated on Jack’s lips, Jack’s tongue, and the amazing, wonderful, tingling feeling of being so close to Jack. There was a faint trace of coffee and chocolate on Jack’s lips, but Jack could have tasted like pickled cucumbers and Daniel would have become addicted to kissing him. He licked over Jack’s chapped lips repeatedly, wetting them. On Jack’s cheek he saw and felt stubble when he turned his head a bit, because none of them had thought it necessary to shave this morning before they decorated the cake. 

To know that your partner was a man was a feeling he had missed for far too long, and he moaned into the kiss. The moan was repeated by Jack, and a fervent wish and longing to have more cut into Daniel when he felt Jack try to push his hands under his rain jacket, anorak and the pullover, without success. Perhaps it was for the better, because they were both dripping with the melting snow that ran in little rivulets down his cheeks and his neck. But that was of minor importance. What counted was to share Jack’s breath, Jack’s mouth claiming his and vice versa. 

After a moment, Jack interrupted the kiss and pulled impatiently at Daniel’s sleeve, saying urgently, “Let’s go home.” 

Daniel opened his eyes and saw on Jack’s face the same very happy and dumbstruck expression he probably had too. But he didn’t worry about looking stupid. The moment was too good, too perfect, too earth-shattering. 

“Yes!” Daniel beamed again, then he laughed and added, “You see there are some things where I say ‘yes’ immediately.” 

“I hope you continue doing so,” Jack teased and gave Daniel back his glasses. 

“There’s nothing I wouldn’t at least try before I say no,” Daniel stated more earnestly so that Jack knew that he meant what he said. 

“Dammit! Another remark like that and we won’t make it out of this bunny house. And if we do that, the bunnies will never recover.” Resolutely Jack pulled his ski glasses over his eyes and arranged his scarf to line up precisely with the glasses. Daniel did the same and they tromped out into the howling wind, which was still as cold and cutting as it had been on their way there. 

Daniel could barely wait to be back in Jack’s warm house. He was convinced that for the rest of the day they would find the means to keep Jack occupied so that he wouldn’t get bored again. And as for himself, he’d always had a secret fondness for days that were made for staying inside. Because there was no such a thing as bad weather – you only had to find the right person and make the best of it.

\-------------THE END-----------

©Antares, December 2016 


End file.
